Old Housing in Chicago, or, adding poorly built additions

[JustinHaugens]

Most likely the chemicals that could be pent up inside the room. Coal dust or potential fumes is not something you want to be breathing. Wear a face mask or gas mask regardless when opening something like that.

[oldhousegirl]

Originally Posted by StrayKitten

Sometimes the information is not up to date. I'm not sure how they get the information; maybe they just look at the building and see three apartments. Although, sometimes they know if the units are apartments or condos, so I don't really know.

You live in a very cool building! I love the old places. My building was built in 1919. Once I was giving the bathroom floor a good scrubbing, and a rusty old hairpin came out from under the piece of wood that divides the bathroom from the hallway. You would have thought it was a piece of gold the way I was so excited about it, LOL.

Here is a link to a reverse address directory from 1929. You can look up the address (by street, then by number) and see who lived there in 1929. I have to warn you though that it takes a long time (5 minutes?) to load, and if you are using a dial-up, don't try it. There is a list on the left side of the screen so you can pick the letter your street begins with.

http://www.chsmedia.org/househistory...enus/PolkL.pdf

Hello and thanks much for posting the above link. Took a minute to figure it out, am enjoying!! How did you find it? Are you a part of a database group?

[StrayKitten]

Originally Posted by oldhousegirl

Hello and thanks much for posting the above link. Took a minute to figure it out, am enjoying!! How did you find it? Are you a part of a database group?

I'm glad you like it. I love researching the places that I've lived, along with places that look interesting. This is a link to the Chicago Genealogical Society links page (where I found the directory). There is a lot of good information there. Enjoy!

CGS LINKS

[Chi-town Native]

I love the coal room stories - a friend of mine grew up in a greystone in Logan Square, and the fellow who actually built them (6 in a row!) with his dad is still living there, my friend's place still had the coal room intact when his family moved in.

I grew up in an 1886 victorian 2 - flat - I think a coal room would have actually been a huge improvement, we had a space heater (super old school) in the basement, and a few radiators on the first floor, my bedroom got absolutely zero heat.

[linicx]

1893 was the Victorian era. A two story unit was not unusual and neither was a 3 - it was often a ballroom. People in that era were smaller than today. It is not uncommon to find steep narrow steps, very small closets, wide large porches, interior brick wlls, gas light fixtures, gas firsplace, built-in bookcases, wall papered ceilings, pocket doors, shake roof, coal room, etc.. It is not unusual to find the original shake roof covered with shingles, nor is it unusual to find additions.

Depending upon who did what to your house and when, you can determine a lot from the basement and the attic. You may find knob and tub wiring - and hope it is NOT active - dirt floor, built in shelves where canned goods were stored and old screw type electrical panels. You may also find lath and plaster walls. It is all an indication of age and construction. Door molding and floor trim was mich wider then. Different woods were more popular them. Kitchen counters were not necesarily renovable as they are today. They were part and parcel of the kitchen cabinet - and it was not unusal for the back of the kitchen sink to be in the wall or even part of an ajoining cabinet. To change these counter tops is a major remodeling job on one wall. If you have a hidden bread board that was painted over, it too is a clue as to the age of your kitchen.

You can tell a lot about when a room was updated or added by the wall covering, paint and molding. Most of the old paint was oil base.

There is a warning worth remembering about pre-1900 homes. The old houses with the wall sconce were usally powerered by knob and tube wiring. You can never add blown-in insulation on any wall with live knob and tube as can start a fire as the knob and tube wire must have the space to move. My neighbor had his house insulated. One day he turned on the wall sconce and it wasn't very long before it started a fire. No one knew the knob and tube was live, and the contractor had no experience with it. IF you see it, you can never assume knob and tube is not live somewhere in the house. Only the electrician can.

I lived in a Victorian neighborhood. Mine was about 110 when I sold it.

[oldhousegirl]

Originally Posted by StrayKitten

I'm glad you like it. I love researching the places that I've lived, along with places that look interesting. This is a link to the Chicago Genealogical Society links page (where I found the directory). There is a lot of good information there. Enjoy!

CGS LINKS

Double thanks again for the link! I can't wait to delve in. I'm gonna be up all night this weekend, I love history .

[WhaThe]

Originally Posted by Attrill

We found some really cool old mason jars in our crawlspace. After doing some research we found that they are over 100 years old, and while it's nothing really valuable, its a nice thing to have. Definitely look into the sealed room! If you don't find anything back there you should go to Peoria Packing and get a bunch of bones. Bleach them, stick them back in the room, and seal it up until someone finds them 100 years from now


There are more photos of the work we've been doing here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/attrill/sets/72157622192470704/ - broken link) if you're interested.

Thanks for the pics! Inspiring. I have the glass blocks in my kitchen also but yours look nicer. My kitchen is hideous at the moment. It's nice to see what it could be one day.

Love the bones idea.

P.S. Did you have any concrete poured? I couldn't tell from the pics in the back. I'm asking around for referrals on concrete work.